Climate change impacts are becoming more intense and frequent. India is the seventh most climate-vulnerable country in the world, with nine of its states among the top 50 most vulnerable regions globally. Research also indicates that about 85% of districts are exposed to extreme climate events. Yet there’s a gap between what people are experiencing around them and how it is being communicated in mainstream media and by civil society organisations.
We co-hosted a webinar to explore how communications can help shape a collective voice and tell the climate story better. The panelists were established names in the journalism and civil society organisation spaces. Some of the key takeaways from their conversation are below.
On the relevance of climate communications and the need to talk about climate change:
- India is highly vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events. Climate communications will benefit mitigation and adaptation. For example, by highlighting grassroots, community-centered stories, we can show how climate change is adversely affecting the health and livelihood of communities. This will help gather necessary on-ground data for global climate change negotiations.
Is media detached from the on-ground, lived experiences of communities? Are news organisations paying more attention to reporting summits and conferences? If yes, why?
- There’s a lack of on-ground climate reporting and coverage of how climate change is affecting marginalised communities. This is creating a disconnect between community experiences and what is transpiring in high-level climate conferences and negotiations. However, reporting about communities and summits/conferences are both important.
- A success story which demonstrates how on-ground reporting impacted policy is the mandate on loss and damage at COP28. While most policies and climate centric conversations are mitigation focused, the wide media coverage on loss and damage from extreme weather events has translated into the global community uniting to form the Loss and Damage Fund. This Fund is a significant win for affected and vulnerable communities, primarily in South Asia and South-East Asian countries.
- A major reason why we see a dearth of community-level climate reporting is the high financial cost for newsrooms to do this kind of reporting.
What is the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in shaping the climate change discussion?
- A decade ago, the climate change discourse was the domain of environmentalists. Research and reports from think tanks and other organisations were not receiving much traction in the public discourse. This has changed in the last 5 years and communicating about climate change has become important with time.
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The shift is because of two reasons:
1. The youth and pressure from young climate activists on industries and governments to take note of climate change as a growing concern.
2. Government push on policies and initiatives that address climate change, particularly the setting up of net zero targets.
- Earlier, CSOs were largely focused on influencing policymakers, however, dissemination of information and data among the public is growing. There has been an institutional revamp where climate communications within some CSOs have evolved from an administrative function to a complete programme in itself to engage policymakers and the wider public alike.
- Climate change is a complex topic. There are different angles to be communicated and organisations are recognising the need to craft innovative communication products that can make the topic simple to understand.
Why is it important for philanthropic organisations to support climate communications over and above existing grants for research and on-ground initiatives?
- Addressing climate change requires deep-rooted shifts in existing ways of functioning, producing and consuming. Shifts in behaviour patterns, organisational practices, and changing the way we perceive climate change are all issues that need attention.
- Stakeholders ranging from governments, industries and individuals will have to make this shift happen. Engaging in the right kind of messaging through communications is thus crucial to raise awareness and convince them to act. A challenge is that most climate communications is in English and not regional languages.
- There is a growing opportunity for philanthropies to nurture dialogues. Organisational efforts are often siloed which results in duplication. Philanthropies can play a crucial role in nurturing an ecosystem that brings all stakeholders together. They can support individual organisations with specialised value adds and help them with tools/ resources for effective communication.
In case you would like to view the webinar's recording, it is available here.